Let’s face it, one of the best features of Rubber Tree plants (Ficus elastica) is the big, glossy, vibrant leaves they produce. So, when you notice those same leaves dropping off of your plant, it’s easy to panic. What’s happening? Will these leaves ever grow back?
Will the leaves on a Rubber Tree ever grow back if they drop from the plant? It is highly unlikely that a Rubber Tree will produce new leaf growth along older stems once it drops its original leaves. Instead, you can rely on techniques like ensuring proper plant care is being practiced and pruning to stop additional leaf drop and encourage new branches to grow.
When Rubber Trees drop their leaves, it can be due to one of many reasons. This article covers the most common reasons your plant might be losing its leaves and then offer some suggestions on how to help your plant recover from such an episode.
Will My Rubber Tree Leaves Grow Back?
When we first start noticing leaf drop on our houseplants, it can be a bit distressing. Like I said, this can be due to a variety of reasons, but it’s essential to find the cause of the leaf drop quickly because it is very unlikely that a Rubber Tree will ever regrow its leaves back along the same spot on the stem.
Instead of praying for a leaf to grow back, it is best to remedy whatever issue is causing the leaf drop, allow your Rubber Tree to recover, and then work on promoting new leaf growth to aid in the plant’s recovery and future health. You can also strategically prune back your plant to promote new branch growth, and therefore new leaf growth.
Why Do Rubber Trees Lose Their Leaves?
When we see leaves starting to drop off of one of our beloved houseplants, it’s easy to think the very worst is happening, and the plant is doomed. However, it’s better to think of leaf drop as a warning sign of something not being quite right for your plant, which can usually be remedied with a quick fix.
Below are the most common reasons your Rubber Tree might be dropping its leaves.
Old Age
One very plausible reason your Rubber Tree is dropping a leaf is just that the leaf got too old. This is a common thing to see in well-established plants. Enough new growth has occurred higher up on the plant, and aging leaves are best left to fall off so resources can be directed elsewhere in the plant.
You will probably see this happen once in a while as your Rubber Tree grows. Don’t panic unless you start seeing leaves drop frequently.
Overwatering
By far, the most common reason your Rubber Tree may be dropping its leaves is overwatering. If this is the case, you’ll probably start noticing that the lower leaves, starting from the bottom and working their way up, are beginning to turn yellow or brown and eventually falling off the plant.
This happens because the plant is either receiving water too frequently or has poor drainage and the soil is waterlogged. If this problem isn’t corrected quickly, the health of the Rubber Tree can suffer greatly and leaf loss will be substantial.
Underwatering
The inverse of overwatering is another common reason for leaf drop. Underwatering a Rubber Tree can cause the plant to sacrifice its leaves to retain what little moisture it has left.
If you see leaves that are drooping, curling, or have burnt edges, this is a pretty clear indication that your plant needs more water. The leaves can also turn yellow, like in the case of overwatering, but they won’t be as uniform and, most likely, they will also be sporting some curled or burned leaf tips.
Underwatered plants will begin shedding these leaves one by one until they get the moisture they need.
Light Levels
I’ve written a lot about how Rubber Trees are relatively low-maintenance plants, but if they had one thing to be picky about, it would be their light exposure levels. These fast-growing plants prefer lots of bright, indirect light to thrive, and when they receive too little, they may resort to leaf drop.
In this instance, the leaf drop will probably also be coupled with other signs your plant isn’t receiving enough light, like slowed or stalled growth, leggy, weak growth, or loss of vibrancy or variegation (depending on the variety) of leaves.
Acclimation Shock
Changing your Rubber Tree’s environment too quickly is another trigger for leaf drop. You may have noticed that when you brought your Rubber Tree home from the nursery or store, a few leaves dropped off. This isn’t because the plant is unhealthy, but more likely because its access to heat, light, humidity, and moisture changed too drastically.
Moving from high light to low light is the most common acclimation issue that Rubber Trees are sensitive to. However, exposure to extreme temperatures, especially cold temperatures, can create the same issue.
Pests
Lastly, you may notice leaves dropping from your Rubber Tree due to pest damage. There are lots of critters that like to dine on the fleshy tissue of the leaves, which causes damage and can encourage diseases.
If a leaf is damaged beyond repair, over time, the plant will discard it. However, you should see pretty clear signs of pest damage long before a leaf drops. Any curling, scrapes or tracks, or webbing you see on leaves may be signs of pest infestations and should be dealt with quickly.
How to Keep Your Rubber Tree Leaves Happy Moving Forward
Now that you know the reasons why your Rubber Tree may be dropping its leaves, you can act quickly to help restore the plant’s health and prevent future leaf drops from happening.
The first line of defense is to always practice good plant care habits. Proper care is the easiest way to avoid situations that promote leaves to drop from your plant.
Avoiding over- or underwatering is essential to your plant’s health. Be sure you only water when the top inch of soil is dry to the touch and that your plant’s pot and soil have proper drainage. Feed your Rubber Tree sparingly with a well-balanced fertilizer, diluted to half strength, about once a month.
You will also want to pay close attention to your plant’s environment. Make sure you give your Rubber Tree a choice spot in your home where it gets lots of bright, indirect light but is protected from temperature swings from open doors or heating vents.
Avoid changing the plant’s environment too much, too fast. If you need to move your plant to a spot with lower light exposure, do it gradually to avoid shocking the plant.
The same goes if you plan on putting your Rubber Tree outside on the patio during summer months. Acclimate it to a new spot gradually. Start by putting your plant outside for an hour at a time and then slowly increase the amount of time over the next few days.
When Leaf Loss is Severe, Prune Back Your Plant
If you have found yourself in a situation where your Rubber Tree has lost a significant number of leaves, you may have to take more drastic measures.
First and foremost, make sure you’ve dialed in proper plant care for the Rubber Tree. You want to correct any issues having to do with watering, light exposure, or pests; otherwise, the plant won’t be worth saving.
Once that is taken care of, you can use strategic pruning to encourage new branching to occur lower on the plant. By cutting the plant back, you will encourage the nodes just below any cuts to produce new branches. As these branches form, new leaves will begin to grow, as well.
You’ll want to preserve at least one branch that still has leaves on it, as that will be the plant’s only source of performing photosynthesis. Once your other cuts have produced new branches and leaves, you can cut back this remaining branch to match the others.
Obviously, this will take a significant amount of time to grow back many leaves, but if you’re at a point where your Rubber Tree has already lost a majority of its leaves, this may be your best chance to create opportunities for new leaf growth.
Final Thoughts
In most cases, leaves dropping from your Rubber Tree is something that can easily be fixed just by adjusting how you are caring for the plant. Once the problem is taken care of, your plant should respond by holding its leaves and resuming healthy growth.
If you notice leaves dropping, remember to stay calm and assess the situation. Big changes can make the problem worse, so it’s best to hone in on the most likely cause and correct it while watching to make sure your Rubber Tree responds by holding on to its remaining leaves.
